Said reflection inks have long been known. The reflection property of these inks is based on the fact that a plurality of small reflecting particles are contained in the ink mass. Such particles can be of spherical shape and consist of metal, glass, metal-coated glass, or metal-coated plastic. A suitable ink is marketed, for example, by the company of Sericol under the commercial name “Reflec 100” and “Reflec 200”.
Inks are also known in which the reflection particles are present in the form of chips.
In the meaning of the present invention, the term reflection inks is also understood to mean colorless or transparent carriers and lacquers, as far as they contain reflection particles.
According to the prior art, such inks can only be used in the screen print direct process without the reflection properties being substantially impaired.
According to the screen print direct process, the reflection ink is applied directly onto a substrate. Textile and plastic stripes may be used as substrates. The printing of processed textiles, such as shirts, jackets, and T-shirts, is likewise possible.
The known screen print direct process comprises the following process steps:
1. Introducing and positioning the substrate to be printed into the printing device;
2. optionally printing/applying a primer coating; and
3. Printing/applying the reflection ink.
Depending on the properties of the primer coating being used and of-the reflection ink, further drying steps between the individual process steps can be provided.
By means of the screen print direct process, high-quality prints can be manufactured on said substrates, whereby the reflection ink has-very good reflection capability.
The screen print direct process however, has a plurality of drawbacks. The printing of made-up textiles such as shirts or jackets is extremely difficult, since the seams being present or other applications to the textile interfere with or impede the printing process. The exact positioning of the textile to be printed in the printing device is also necessary which leads to an increased amount of work. Additionally, the pre-manufactured textiles must be sent to the printing office, which causes increased transport expenditure. The printing of small series in each case involves the elaborate resetting of the printing device, which is also disadvantageous.
In particular, due to the frequent customer's need for the printing of small series which are then sold and may be required to be re-run, depending on the market demand, the need for the printing device to be equipped in each case with the corresponding printing devices leads to an increased amount of work and increased costs.
In order to meet customer s requirements for small series which can be re-run, to achieve higher machine utilization by reduced setting-up times, and to create the possibility, to make the application onto the substrate independent from the location of the printing device, transfer systems are known to be used.
The known screen print transfer systems are manufactured and used as follows:
Providing a transfer carrier, e.g. of siliconised or waxed paper;
Applying/imprinting the ink; and
Applying/imprinting an adhesive.
If it is intended that motifs are to be manufactured with said transfer systems, the motifs are to be printed onto the transfer carrier in a mirror-reversed fashion.
Such transfer systems can be manufactured in a simple manner, at reasonable cost and in large numbers.
The transfers manufactured can be sent to the customer and applied at that location, according to demand, by means of a simple transfer press, onto the desired substrates. In this respect, it is possible for the end purchaser to select a motif from a plurality of pre-prepared transfers, and to have the transfer applied onto a substrate being also individually selected by him. Using such transfer systems, it is possible for substrates to be prepared at almost any desired sales locations which are provided with motifs in accordance with the customer's needs.
Application is effected by the substrate being brought into the transfer press and positioned, the transfer having the adhesive coating being applied onto the substrate and positioned, the transfer being applied on the substrate by means of the transfer press with the aid of pressure and, if necessary, increased temperature, the substrate provided with the motif being removed from the transfer press and the transfer carrier being removed from the substrate.
It has been shown, however, that, using reflection inks in the known screen print transfer systems, the reflection inks provide hardly any reflection properties any longer after application onto the substrate which is undesirable.
DE-AS 14 46 828 discloses a process for the manufacture of a reflective transfer film, and the transfer films manufactured thereby, in which, on a carrier coated with a plastic softened in the heat, spherical reflection particles are incorporated under the effect of heat into the surface of the plastic coating. Next, a sequence of layers of a rubber binding agent, an optional heat blocking layer, an adhesive, and finally a second carrier is applied. Application is effected by the second layer being removed and the exposed adhesive side being bonded to the textile substrate under the application of heat. Finally, the plastic-coated carrier is removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,597 discloses a process for the manufacture of a highly reflective coating on a rigid substrate, such as a road sign. In this case, an ink containing fully metal-coated micro-spheroids is applied onto the substrate, whereby, after the ink mass has dried, the micro-spheroids are raised above the surface of the ink layer. In a further processing step, the metal coating of the spheroids which projects beyond the ink layer, is removed by etching, as a result of which an especially advantageous reflection capability is achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,064 describes a process for the manufacture of a reflection transfer in which a backing layer is first applied, onto which a plastic layer capable of being softened under heating is applied, wherein reflecting spheroids are present in about 30-40% of their extent. Optionally, a mirror layer can be applied to the surface of the spheroids. In a two-step process, an artificial resin-binding agent is first applied to the surface of the spheroids, and then a transfer adhesive is imprinted. For a figurative representation, the print is to be applied in a mirror-reversed fashion.
The transfer is brought to application onto a substrate, such as a textile, with the transfer adhesive agent side and adhesively bonded in place. Finally, the backing layer with the heat-softenable plastic layer is removed, whereby the spheroids remain in the hardened binding agent layer.
AT-P-200 691 describes a fluid reflective coating agent, with which a reflection is effected by a plurality of small glass or metal particles.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a screen print reflection transfer system and a process for the manufacture thereof, in which the reflection ink provides substantial reflection properties after transferring onto the substrate.
A further object of the present invention relates to the provision of a screen print reflection transfer system and a process for the manufacture thereof, whereby at least a part of the reflection particles of the reflection ink used according to the invention are raised above the dried ink layer.
The objects of the invention are achieved by the limitations of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.